The ThorpyFX Kudu is an overdrive pedal from UK maker ThorpyFX, designed by Dan Coggins, the designer behind the 1990s boutique Lovetone effects pedals and now a full-time member of the ThorpyFX team12. ThorpyFX positions it as a pedal optimized for stacking with other pedals and amps, and describes what it does in plain terms: "It makes all your sounds, whether amp or pedal driven, bigger and better with more control"1.
The stacking claim is the heart of it. Guitar Pedal X called it a multi-clipping tone-enhancer for boosting and stacking, created to make everything greater, and noted it also works well on its own3. Delicious Audio put the claim to the test and came away convinced: "But here's the thing: it actually works"4.
What the Kudu does
Most overdrives are judged as the one drive sound in your chain. The Kudu is built around a different idea: sitting alongside whatever gain you already have, whether that comes from your amp or from other pedals, and making the whole thing bigger1. ThorpyFX says the pedal was created specifically as a stacking tool, and the three clipping modes exist so you can match it to what comes before and after it in the chain14.
Delicious Audio's review found the stacking promise holds up in practice, and that the Bite control is part of why: it handles brightness and sizzle, but it is not just a tone knob, it interacts with the pedals around it4. Guitar World's reviewer Trevor Curwen went further on the same control, calling it essential: "the Bite knob is essential as it adds in presence and treble, really focusing the tone"5.
The controls: Bite, gain and three clipping modes
The Kudu carries four controls: Level, Drive, Bite and a Clip selector3. The clipping switch offers three modes, which the maker says are there "enabling you to get the very best from your sound"7.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Sets output volume3 |
| Drive | Gain control, more flexible than the original gift pedal's6 |
| Bite | Tone control combining what Guitar Pedal X breaks down as Tone + Sparkle + Sizzle; adds presence and treble35 |
| Clip | Three-position selector: Soft / Hard / Soft+3 |
The three clipping modes each use a different diode pair, and they shape the drive character in distinctly different ways763:
| Mode | Clipping components | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Hard | 2 x red LEDs | Open, less compressed, more headroom; "more in-yer-face"45 |
| Soft | 2 x 2N4148 silicon | Classic compression and mid push; "squidgy compression"; suits Marshall-style amps643 |
| Soft+ | 2 x Schottky diodes | Described by Guitar Pedal X as "extraordinary and incredibly Germanium-like"3 |
Adrian Thorpe's guidance in the Guitar World interview is that Soft is great for Marshall-style amps, with the other modes there to match different amps and setups6. For a player comparing clipping types, the range runs from the open, less compressed LED hard clip through the compressed, mid-forward silicon soft clip to the Schottky Soft+ mode, which reviewers found behaves like germanium435.
History: Dan Coggins's gift pedal and the name
The Kudu started as a Christmas present. Dan Coggins, who designs pedals for ThorpyFX and was the man behind the legendary Lovetone effects of the 1990s, gifted ThorpyFX founder Adrian Thorpe a modified pedal at Christmas 2024, and as the maker tells it, that gift sparked the idea for a new product12. ThorpyFX took inspiration from that modified classic and created a pedal optimized for stacking1.
The production Kudu is more than the gift pedal, though. As Thorpe explained in Guitar World: "it's got more EQ, it's got more clipping options, the gain control is more flexible"6. The original had only Level and Drive6. Thorpe decided to release it so everyone could have the pedal6.
The name comes from an antelope. Thorpe saw kudus, and the one he saw was called a greater kudu, "and that just seemed to fit: because it makes everything greater"6. Guitar Pedal X reviewed the pedal under the Greater Kudu name in May 2026, before Guitar World reported the Kudu's release in August 202636.
The pedal also marks a visual departure for the brand. ThorpyFX is known for a military aesthetic, but the Kudu follows Hanami and The J in leaving it behind6. Its artwork, a vibrant watercolour of a pair of greater kudus in Southern African habitat, was done by Georgia, who Thorpe says handles the creative side of the business63. Guitar Pedal X's reviewer thought it might be the best-looking Thorpy pedal yet, pipping even the all-purple Dane artwork3.
What reviewers said
- Delicious Audio found the core claim genuine: "it actually works"4
- Guitar World's Trevor Curwen called the Bite knob essential for focusing the tone5
- Guitar Pedal X found the Soft+ Schottky mode extraordinary and incredibly Germanium-like, and rated the artwork among the maker's best3
- Guitar World noted the usual solid ThorpyFX build quality8
The Kudu is sold in three purchase options: Pedal Alone, With KUDU Button, or With ThorpyFx Button1. The £209.99 UK price includes tax for UK buyers only1.
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Questions
Is the ThorpyFX Kudu true bypass?
Yes. Delicious Audio's review lists the Kudu as true bypass, so with the pedal off your signal passes through without active buffering. It runs on a 9V DC adaptor, which is not supplied with the pedal.
What is the difference between the Kudu's Hard, Soft and Soft+ clipping?
Hard uses red LEDs for an open, less compressed sound with more headroom. Soft uses 2N4148 silicon diodes for classic compression and a mid push, which Adrian Thorpe says suits Marshall-style amps. Soft+ uses Schottky diodes, which Guitar Pedal X found extraordinarily Germanium-like in character.
How much current does the ThorpyFX Kudu draw?
The maker lists a current draw of 30mA. It runs on a 9V DC adaptor, which is not included, so you will need your own power supply or a pedalboard power outlet with a spare 9V DC output.
What is the difference between the Kudu and the Greater Kudu?
They are the same circuit. Guitar Pedal X reviewed the pedal under the name Greater Kudu in May 2026, listing the same Level, Bite, Drive and Clip controls and the same three clipping modes. The pedal is named after the greater kudu, a large South African antelope, because, as Adrian Thorpe puts it, it makes everything greater.
Does the ThorpyFX Kudu come with a power supply?
No. Guitar World's review specifies a 9V DC adaptor that is not supplied, so plan on providing your own. The pedal draws 30mA, which is modest enough for most isolated power supplies.
Sources (8)
- The KUDU, ThorpyFX
- ThorpyFX Pulse Doppler Phase Shifter, gearnews.com, 2021-05-27
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2026-05-05
- ThorpyFX Kudu Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2026-05-15
- ThorpyFX Kudu review: “Truly an amp improver”, Guitar World, 2026-09-27
- The making of the ThorpyFX Kudu, Guitar World, 2026-08-30
- The KUDU, thorpyfx.com
- ThorpyFX Electric Lightning review, Guitar World, 2024-07-05
